The Con
by Lissa Grinstead
Summary: Ezra infiltrates a gang of outlaws...but who is he really conning?


**The Con**

Ezra sat playing poker with three new comers into town. He had already learned each of their tells. The man with the blue kerchief always rubbed his mustache when he thought he had a winning hand. This occurred often. However, Ezra had learned that this man's idea of a winning hand was a pair of eights. When the man thought he had an unbeatable hand, he tapped his right index finger on the table. The man never bluffed. The man with the brown plainsman fiddled with the string of his hat when he was bluffing. The remaining man, a rather scruffy looking individual who had already consumed two bottles of whiskey, bet on any hand. However, he did not know how to play the game and often would throw away cards that he should have kept.

The game was rather unchallenging; however, as long as these individuals were willing to make contributions to his saloon fund, he would play them.

Ezra looked up as gunshots were fired in the street. However, he was in the middle of a game. Unless one of the other men called for him, he was not going to abandon such easy marks.

After a moment, the gunshots ceased. He knew that they had not needed him. Ezra watched the doors. Any moment now, Buck would saunter through the door and order a beer.

Minutes passed. Buck didn't show up. Neither did Chris or the others. Ezra looked at the men sitting at his table. He knew he'd won anything worth winning from them. At the end of the hand, he picked up his winnings.

"Gentlemen, it's been a pleasure," Ezra said formally as he stood up.

"Yeah, I can see that, seein's how you took all our money, mister."

Ezra fixed a cool stare on the man who had spoken. "Good sir, I did not force you to engage in this game of chance, nor did I prevent you from departing at any time. You incurred those losses on your own."

The man looked at him coldly for a moment, then nodded.

"Good day to you." Ezra turned and left the saloon.

When he stepped out and looked down the street, Ezra knew there was trouble. There was a crowd of at least forty rough looking gunslingers. He could see that Chris was trussed up and tied onto a horse. Vin was slung over the saddle of another one. JD and Buck were lying on the dirt. Nathan was hollering at someone. Josiah was being tied onto a horse.

The leader of this gang was shouting. "Now, I know there are seven men who protect this town. I got six of them. What I want from you," he said as he waved his gun to the crowd, "is the seventh."

No one in the town moved. No one in the town spoke. No one looked at Ezra. Ezra was impressed.

The leader continued. "If you do not give up the seventh man, I am going to kill someone every 10 minutes." Then he pointed a gun at Mary Travis, who was standing in the front of the Clarion office.

Ezra knew he could not give himself up, not if he wanted to help the others out. And he could not allow Mary Travis to be shot to protect him.

Ezra was a con-man, first and foremost. That was something his mother had drilled into him from a young age. It was what he knew best. But did he have the skills to get everyone out of this alive?

***********

The leader of the gang lowered his gun. "You have ten minutes to hand over the seventh man. If I don't have him by then, this pretty little lady dies." Then he grinned evilly, and looked straight at Mary. "But don't worry, darlin'. It won't be right away."

Ezra saw Mary flinch. Clearly, she understood precisely what the man was implying. Ezra stared at the man who was leading this group. Then he looked at the remaining gunmen. With forty of them, there had to be some weak link he could exploit.

And he found it. Ezra grinned, revealing his gold tooth. As he did whenever he was beginning to formulate a plan, he ran his tongue under his teeth and then licked his lips. His eyes sparkled. He knew one of those men. He'd run a con with him several years back. It had been a particularly nasty one, one that he had never been proud of. Actually, that con was one of the reasons he gambled mostly now. That con had cost a man his life. Ezra felt responsible for it. No, he had not actually pulled the trigger of the gun. But he had conned the gentleman in question out of everything he owned.

None of the other men knew this, and his mother definitely didn't know this, but he had actually seen to it that the man's little girl had been provided for. Every month, he sent off something to her. It was anonymous, of course. For he knew the girl would never accept anything from someone responsible for her papa's death.

However, something good was about to come out of that con. Ezra walked up to the leader of the group and smiled. "Good day to you sir. I really must congratulate you on your accomplishment."

"Who the hell are you?"

Ezra had already pondered that. Joe Wilkins, the man he had worked with, knew him as Ezra Sanders. And that was who he was going to be now. "Ezra Sanders, at your service," Ezra said with a flourish.

The lead gunman pointed his weapon in Ezra's face. "Well, Ezra Sanders, unless you got information on the seventh lawman, I ain't got much use for your face."

Ezra allowed a brief laugh. "Ah yes, the seventh lawman. He and I met yesterday. Seems he had decided to take a journey on his own. He's not coming back." Ezra grinned wickedly. "You can ask them if you like. I'm sure they'll tell you that Charlie Johnson, that's the lawman by the way, headed to Eagle Bend."

He hoped he had spoken loudly enough that Chris and Nathan had both heard him.

Chris turned to him and shouted over the din, "Sanders, you Bastard!"

Ezra looked at Chris and smiled. "Ah yes. Bastard. How very original."

Chris glared at him, fury building in his darkening eyes.

Just then, Joe Wilkins walked up to the leader. "Carlton. I know him. A smarter gun you could not hire."

Carlton looked over at Joe. Ezra nodded his thanks. When Carlton looked back at Ezra, Ezra smiled. "You mind if I ride out with you. I have a feeling this town won't be overly enthusiastic about my presence once you leave."

Carlton nodded. Ezra ran to the stable to saddle his horse. Fortunately, experience had taught him to always be prepared to leave and his saddlebags were always ready. He rode out and joined the gang. By the time he got back, the others were all tied to horses. Some of his friends were unconscious, all were bleeding.

He looked at Mary on the way out of town. He knew that she would wire Judge Travis as soon as the gang left. Unfortunately, half of the gang stayed behind. Whatever these men wanted required that there be no law in Four Corners.

All he could hope was that the citizens, most especially Mary who had a tendency to get involved, stayed away from those men until he could get back with the Chris and the others.

*******

Carlton and his men rode out of town about five miles before making camp. Ezra still didn't know what was going on. Obviously, there was some reason Carlton had not killed the others. Ezra knew the man had to have a reason to keep them alive.

Ezra needed information. But before he could get that, he needed to get trust and build a rapport with the gang. He had to be a member of that gang for them to trust him.

Ezra took out his Remington revolver and checked the chambers. Then he went over to the fire. Ezra squatted down next to Joe. He took a deck of cards out of his waistcoat pocket.

"Care to partake in a game of chance?" Ezra asked.

Joe and a few other guys nodded. Before long, they had a makeshift table set up and the men were playing. Ezra listened. Sure, he knew that most folks thought his best skill was his speech, but that was really only partially correct. He actually preferred folks to believe that. His best skill, however, was really directing the conversation.

Ezra skillfully directed the conversation, and listened to the outcome carefully. He needed two pieces of information. The first was: what did Carlton want with his friends? The second was: what was going on in Four Corners? He could not help Chris and the others until he knew that information.

Over the course of the game, Ezra watched the other men carefully. They looked to Joe a great bit. This told him that Joe really was in the line of command in this gang. He was not the leader, but he was one of the leader's confederates. This was good.

Ezra regaled the gang with tales of his cons, mostly made up. And he learned that the reason the others had not been killed yet was that some rancher had put a bounty on all of their heads. And basically, the gang didn't want to lug dead bodies to where ever this rancher was. Quite understandable. Dead bodies tended to attract all sorts of things...and became quite odorous in the middle of summer.

On the other hand, live prisoners would try to escape. Ezra was planning on helping them to do just that. He knew that armed, and uninjured, they could handle twenty men. Ezra needed to know how badly the others had been hurt.

While he was playing cards, however, he did manage to acquire something other than information. He won Buck's gun and Nathan's knives.

Ezra closed the game. Afterall, garnering all the information in one game would be suspicious. He didn't want these people thinking he was pumping them for information. Right now, he was a man on the inside, and he needed to keep it that way until the whole gang was out of Four Corners.

Shortly after midnight, Ezra walked around the campsite, getting acquainted with everyone there. He noticed that Chris and Vin were in one area, Buck and JD were together, and Nathan and Josiah were kept together. The men were relatively close to one another.

As Ezra walked past Chris and Vin, he noted that the tracker was awake. Chris looked mad. "Well, Mr. Larabee," Ezra said in his most hateful voice, "seems you're in a bit of a predicament."

Chris fixed a glare on him. "So it would seem."

Ezra looked at Chris, trying to determine where he'd been shot before. It looked to be in the side. Chris seemed to be in a bit of pain, but he was doing pretty well, all things considered.

Ezra looked at Vin and commented, "He ain't gonna make it."

Chris stated, "He'll be just fine."

Ezra raised an eyebrow. That helped. As he was finishing the conversation with Chris, Carlton came up.

"What are you doing, Sanders?"

"Just tormenting Mr. Larabee. He and I had a bit of a run in a while back. It's nice to see him like this." Ezra grinned.

"Tell ya what, Sanders. I'm going to let you shoot him."

"It would be my pleasure." With that, Ezra took out his revolver, aimed it at Chris, and fired.

******

Ezra watched dispassionately as Chris rolled to his side and bit back a scream. Vin glared at him.

Carlton walked over to Larabee and stated, "He ain't dead yet."

Ezra merely laughed derisively. He brought his gun up and looked into the chambers again. "You didn't say I had to do it in one shot. That man deserves to suffer first."

"You sick bastard," Vin said while looking at Ezra.

Carlton nodded. "Yes, indeed. I like the way you think. I could definitely use a man like you."

Ezra smiled. "What did you have in mind?"

Carlton started to walk off. "Why don't we talk this over a bit? You can come back and torment this cowboy later."

Ezra nodded and left with Carlton.

*******

Chris rolled onto his back. Vin watched him, his eyes filled with silent worry.

"You mind telling me what the hell that was about?" Vin asked. He was trying to get a look at Chris, to see how much damage Ezra had done. "I thought he was on our side."

Chris looked at Vin. "He is."

"Damn it Chris, he just shot you."

"With a blank. And he took a great risk doing that much." Chris winced. Rolling over when Ezra had shot at him had jostled his already sore side. "He's all that is standing between us and death right now."

Vin nodded. "We still have to get out of here. Town's in trouble."

Chris nodded. "Vin. We're going to have to trust that Ezra knows how to cheat the odds, because right now...it doesn't look good."

Vin grinned. "Looks a hell of a lot better now than it did ten minutes ago."

Neither man said anything more.

************

Ezra listened as Carlton explained what he needed from him. Apparently a large shipment was coming through town...munitions, money, supplies. It was a valuable enough shipment that it would supply this gang for a good period of time. And make them a lot more dangerous than they were before.

The members that stayed in town were to blend in and see to it that the soldiers were not warned. They were going to follow the shipment. This half of the gang would meet it. The soldiers would then be trapped between two groups of angry gunmen.

He had to admit. It was a sound strategy. All he had to do was figure out how to free his friends, and stop the gang. Ezra grinned and thought sarcastically to himself, "This should be a piece of cake."

********

Chris looked up as Ezra sauntered over to them. "Back to give me some more, eh?"

Ezra nodded. "Think you can take it?"

"Try me."

Ezra snorted. He looked over toward where JD and Buck were being held. "Friends with those two, are you?"

Chris nodded. Ezra was obviously trying to tell him something without making it look suspicious. And understanding Ezra never was an easy task in the first place.

"You'll be pleased to know that you'll die before they do."

Chris hid his relief. The last time he'd seen Buck and JD, they were unconscious. For all he had known, they were dead. It took all of Chris's concentration to get the gist of what Ezra was telling him. Ezra's voice was harsh and malicious, as if he was taunting him.

Ezra glared at him one more time, then stood up and left. Chris watched as Ezra moved to the guard near them and started playing poker with him. A few others joined in the game. Chris was amazed when he saw Ezra win JD's guns, but lose Nathan's knives.

Ezra came back a while later and fired another blank at Chris. Then he winked. Chris grinned. Apparently, Ezra wanted to get everyone used to gunfire at random intervals. Chris groaned loudly. Vin rolled his eyes.

Ezra looked at his watch then looked Chris in the eye and nodded. Then Ezra walked off.

*******

Ezra had listened very carefully before beginning the next phase of the game. With each move he made, the stakes became more dangerous. Ezra had intentionally lost Nathan's knives to the man that Carlton trusted the least.

Actually, he had nearly laughed this morning when then man showed them to everyone. Mark was definitely named appropriately, Ezra mused

Ezra also watched the captives. All of them were riding their horses. This told him that no one had been badly hurt. They were all well enough to fight. This would make the next phase easier. The only problem was that they were now a day and a half from Four Corners; the shipment would arrive in three days.

When the gang arrived at their destination that night, Carlton indicated that Ezra should join him. As soon as they were away from the others, Ezra asked, "How may I help you?"

Carlton gave him a measuring look. "Ezra, I'm going to send you back to that town. In case something goes wrong before our groups meet up, I want someone there who I know can take a situation and turn it to my advantage."

Ezra raised an eyebrow. "Your confidence in my abilities is...surprising to say the least."

"Nonsense. I've seen you around the men. I watched you in town. From what I've seen, and from what Joe tells me, you can handle surprises. My man in town can't. He can't think on his feet and if something happens to cause a deviation from the plan...well, this whole thing could backfire," Carlton stated.

Ezra maintained a neutral expression and nodded. "This is all very flattering, I'm sure. However, won't my arrival confuse him as well? He has barely met me and is not likely to believe that you sent me to replace him."

Carlton considered this statement carefully. "This is true. I'll send some men with you. Pick five and let them know. You ride at dawn."

Ezra suppressed a grimace over the time, but nodded in agreement. He thought about which men to take. Joe was an expected choice. If he did not take Joe, it would be suspicious. Ezra watched the other men carefully. He wanted to choose the better men of the bunch, but not the best. When he had made his selections, he informed them that they would set out an hour before dawn. If Carlton confronted him over the change in time, Ezra would simply state that it was to compensate for unexpected delays that could occur.

After he was finished with that task, he paid a visit to Mark. After getting the man very drunk, Ezra stole Nathan's knives. However, he left the back strap sheath with Mark. He wanted no evidence to link him to this.

Ezra toured the camp, stopping every once in a while to pick something up or put something down. Very carefully, he made his way over to Chris and Vin. He stood in front of them; his posture was one of anger and defiance. He wanted anyone watching from a distance to think that he was berating the two men.

Ezra asked, "Did you see the man who won Mr. Jackson's knives last night?"

Chris nodded.

"Take him with you when you leave. Make it look like he is your inside man. I ride out an hour before dawn. Give me half an hour, then leave." Ezra looked around again, making sure no one was near them. "Your guns are wrapped in a blanket under that bush." Ezra motioned to the shrub in question.

Chris nodded. Then Ezra dropped a knife near Vin and left. He paused briefly near Buck and JD, then again near Nathan and Josiah. He whispered the outline of the plan as he stopped.

With only fifteen men to deal with, Ezra knew that his friends would be hot on his heels back to Four Corners.

*******

Ezra and the others left an hour before dawn. He had to trust that the others would do what had to be done. His job now was to get to Four Corners, and sabotage Carlton's plan.

A day and a half later, Ezra rode into town. The streets were unusually empty, but he couldn't really blame anyone for remaining inside. After dropping his horse at the livery, and callously forcing the stable boy to care for him, Ezra headed to the saloon. His own actions were making him ill. But he also knew that the worst was yet to come.

Ezra walked into the saloon. He noticed that two of the men from town had taken a position near Inez, as if they were protecting her. Kyle Peters was sitting next to Mary Travis, who was also in the saloon. As he looked around, he noticed that all of the unmarried women in Four Corners were sitting in the saloon. And each one of them had at least one man sitting next to her. This town had certainly changed since he had first come.

The men of the town still were not taking an active role in protecting the town. But they were taking a role in protecting the women. Seeing them like this eased his mind quite a bit. Ezra had not allowed himself to consider what might be happening back in town. He had had to do what he had done. Nonetheless, he had been worried about the women.

Hank Willis, Carlton's main man in town, was sitting at the bar, attempting to flirt with Inez. However, it was the normal, casual flirting that all of the patrons inflicted upon the poor woman. Ezra was not worried about him. Still, he had a job to do.

Ezra walked up to the bar. Inez looked at him, and with a glance of his eyes, he begged her to pretend to not know him.

"Good afternoon, senor. Can I get you anything?" Inez asked.

Ezra smiled politely at her. "Thank you, miss. A whiskey would be delightful. I'd also like the keys to one of the rooms upstairs."

Inez nodded briefly. She poured him a whiskey. "I'll have a room prepared. Will you be here?"

Ezra nodded, then walked over to Hank. "Mr. Willis. Your associate has sent me to relieve you."

Hank turned towards him, an angry scowl on his face. "What do you mean 'relieve' me?"

"Carlton sent me here to take command of this situation. Seems he doesn't have a whole lot of faith in your abilities. Your friend Joe will back me up on this."

Hank looked at Ezra, surprise evident on his face. Nonetheless, he nodded.

"Now, what have you done to insure that the town residents will not interfere when the shipment arrives tomorrow?"

"Done?" Hank asked.

"Yes, done. Good lord man, no wonder Carlton had no faith in you. Do you honestly believe that the residents will not attempt to warn the soldiers of their impending danger?" Ezra asked casually.

Chagrinned, Hank shook his head. "I figured they'd just keep quiet, like they have been."

"Fool," Ezra muttered. "They are biding their time. One example is more than enough for them to understand our meaning. More than that and they may rise up against us. Watch and learn."

With that, Ezra looked around the saloon. His eyes settled on Mary Travis. "Isn't that the woman Carlton was going to shoot?"

Hank nodded. Ezra took the drink in front of him and downed it in one swallow, wincing at the bitter taste. "Well then, I think we have an example." Then he walked over to Mary and yanked her to her feet.

Mary looked at him, obviously shocked by his action. But Ezra wasn't done yet. He paused for just a moment. Chris was going to kill him. Hell, Mary was going to kill him.

Ezra covered Mary's mouth with his own and forced an intimate kiss on her. She struggled against him. When he drew back, she slapped him.

Ezra drew his hand over his stinging cheek. "Feisty, eh? That's good, ma'am. Real good." Then he picked her up, threw her over his shoulder, and left the saloon.

*******

Ezra carried Mary to the telegraph office and slammed the door behind them. He put her down and proceeded to lock up the office and close all the curtains. He could almost feel Mary bristling from her position in the middle of the floor.

When the room was secure to his liking, he turned to her. "My apologies for my rather ungentlemanly behavior..."

"Ungentlemanly behavior! You assaulted me, Mr. Standish!" she interrupted him.

"It's Sanders right now, and I could think of no other way to get you alone so that I might converse with you privately. As you can see, they believe me to me one of them right now. And if you expect us to get out of this situation, they need to continue in that belief. However, I do regret having to resort to such churlish behavior." Ezra spoke softly.

Mary nodded once. Obviously she understood. However, she was still angry.

"I have a further request of you, Mrs. Travis. Two actually."

She crossed her arms over her chest and stood there looking angrily at him. "Yes?"

"Would you mind screaming a bit, as if you were attempting to resist me?"

Mary paled. "You want me to..."

"Yes, assist me in perpetuating the illusion that I am having my way with you. And secondly, do you know how to operate a telegraph?" Ezra was serious.

Mary sat down, obviously disconcerted.

"Mrs. Travis. These men are trying to steal a shipment coming through town. We need to get word out so that the soldiers will be prepared, and bring reinforcements."

"I understand this, Mr. - - - Sanders. I just don't see why I need to…"

Ezra picked up a small object and threw it against a wall. Mary screamed. Ezra winked at her. A few cheers could be heard from the men outside.

"Ezra, that's sick," Mary stated.

"Agreed. Nonetheless, I am but one man against twenty-five, until Mr. Larabee and the others return. Hopefully, that will be soon. I cannot protect you in any other manner."

"I do know how to send telegraphs. Stephen taught me Morse code once."

Ezra smiled. "Wonderful." Then he picked something else up and threw it. Mary smiled and let out a small cry. Ezra took a small object out of his jacket and looked up at Mary. He smiled crookedly.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like what you're about to do, Ezra?"

Ezra let out a small laugh. "Perhaps because you're correct."

"What is that, Ezra?"

"You will not be surprised to hear that in my line of work, a disguise is sometimes quite necessary, correct?"

Mary nodded. "No, I wouldn't. But that doesn't answer my question."

"It is a portion of my disguise apparati." Ezra opened up the box to reveal a small make up kit. "I am going to give you the appearance that you have been battered, as I am not about to raise a hand against a woman. Muss up your hair, please."

Mary glared at him.

"Trust me, Mrs. Travis. This is a much less painful manner to gain the appearance which is a necessary by product of our expected rendezvous."

She took a deep breath, then released a part of her hair. Ezra approached her and smiled. "Pardon this intrusion, my dear."

"You do realize that I will expect a favor in return from you, Ezra."

Ezra laughed. "Of course. I should expect no less. Name it."

Mary smiled. "Not now, Ezra."

After a few moments, Ezra stopped and looked critically at Mary. Her face looked convincingly garish, with a large bruise covering one eye, a split lip, and a gash on her cheek. He took out a small pair of scissors and handed them to her.

Mary looked at him, questioning the scissors.

"Your dress, madam. It must be rent. I believe I shall leave that task to you. A gash on a sleeve, and perhaps a tear across the bodice."

She opened her mouth to protest, but changed her mind. Instead, she muttered, "In for a penny, in for a pound, eh?"

Ezra nodded. "Get the message out to the army."

Mary looked at him "I will."

"Now, for the final step in this phase. Come here a moment, Mrs. Travis. And please forgive me in advance for what I am about to do. Trust me."

"Do I have a choice?" she queried.

"Not really."

Ezra took Mary by the arm and opened the door. He dragged her outside for a moment and called to the town. "This will happen to each of the women should any of you decide to protest. Cooperate, and no one else will be harmed. Are we clear?"

The few townfolk nearby looked at him in horror. Mary was an absolute mess, and she let out a convincing cry as Ezra held onto her arm. He shoved her into the office. Then he looked at his men. "She is mine. I will shoot any of you who touches her."

They all nodded. Hank stepped forward. "You're leaving her in there with the telegraph?"

Ezra gave him a withering look. "Don't be stupid, she is just a woman. Do you know code?"

Hank shook his head.

"Neither do I. And you expect that woman to know it?"

"I guess not," Hank conceded.

Ezra nodded to him then went back to the saloon. Right now, all he could do was wait.

*******

A half-hour before dawn, Chris used the knife left by Ezra and cut the ropes binding his wrist. Then he freed Vin. He could see a bit of motion where the other men were and knew that they were doing the same.

"Stay down," Chris hissed at Vin. Then he ran in a half crouch to the bush Ezra had indicated. He pulled the blanket and grabbed the weapons. Chris quickly strapped his own gun belt around his waist, then checked pulled a gun and checked the chambers. The guns were loaded.

Chris saw a guard coming, but he wasn't ready yet to announce that they were loose. He paused and waited until the guard passed him, then Chris sneaked up behind him and hit him on the head with the butt of the gun. The guard went down without a sound. Chris dragged him over to Vin. While Vin covered him, Chris tied the guard up. Buck and JD approached and Vin distributed their guns to them.

Chris looked at Vin and nodded. Vin signaled for JD to follow him. The two men went off to get Mark.

Chris and Buck moved to where Josiah and Nathan were. Their guard was near them, and Josiah and Nathan had not been able to get past him yet. Buck walked up the man and tapped him on the shoulder.

The guard turned around. "Hey there, Mister. Miss us?" Then he punched him square on the nose. The man went down. Chris handed Josiah and Nathan their guns and they tied up the second guard.

By this time, Vin and JD returned, dragging a still drunk Mark behind them.

Buck rested his left hand in his pants. "We ready to get the hell outta here boys?"

Chris nodded. "Let's do it."

The six men, and their hostage, grabbed seven horses and headed out of the camp. They wanted the gang to come to them, rather than take them out here.

They rode about two hours at breakneck speed. Then they pulled up short and waited. Waited to see if the gang would come after them, or would let them ride unhindered towards Four Corners

**********

"Excuse me, senor," a soft, slightly accented voice interrupted his thoughts.

Ezra turned around and saw Inez standing behind him. "Yes," he said gruffly.

He saw a shocked expression cross Inez's face. Ezra knew she was having a hard time with this facade, especially since she had to trust that it was just that.

"Your room is ready. And...."

"Yes?"

"I thought maybe...I'd like to take a tray to Mrs. Travis, the lady you..." she broke off her statement when Ezra looked harshly at her. Then he softened.

"That will be acceptable. However, I will accompany you."

Inez nodded her head. "I'll have the tray ready in a few minutes, senor."

Ezra acknowledged her statement with a slight nod of his head. Then he turned his attention back to the glass of whiskey before him. "Oh Miss?"

"Si, senor?"

"Pray tell me, what room have you allocated to me?"

Inez paused a moment. "It is the last one on the left, senor."

"Thank you. I shall be there. Come to my room when the tray is ready." Ezra wanted to get some weapons to both of the women, and Inez's idea for the tray was perfect for his plan.

Ezra headed upstairs to his room. Inez had directed him to his own room; for this he was glad. He had a few smaller guns in his room. He rarely carried them; however, he liked to keep these around as a surprise. They often fit nicely into a bootstrap or a pocket.

After placing a gun in each pocket, Ezra waited for the knock on his door. Inez was not long.

When he heard her knock, he answered the door quickly. Then Ezra walked down the stairs. He looked at the tray she had prepared, as if checking for weapons. When he had completed his inspection, Ezra nodded his head. Inez picked up the tray and he followed her to the telegraph office.

As Ezra and Inez approached, the men he had left standing guard moved to allow them to pass. Ezra opened the door, and Mary cried out in fear. Ezra grinned, then shut the door behind Inez.

As soon as the door was closed behind them, Ezra gave the women a genuine smile. Inez put the tray down and ran to Mary.

"Oh my god, what did he do to you!?" she asked the blonde woman frantically, then gave Ezra a look which nearly shot daggers.

"It is nothing Inez, really," Mary responded. "Just a bit of illusion."

Ezra took Inez by the hand. "My apologies for my gruff behavior. It is necessary." Ezra then reached into his pockets and took out the guns. He gave one to each woman. "For your protection. Besides, I may require your assistance yet."

Inez looked at him. "Where are the others?"

*******

David Carlton stormed through the makeshift camp where they were to wait for another two days before rendezvousing with the rest of the gang. He was angry, and the men scattered away from him; each of the cowards was trying to avoid him.

He had had a particularly unpleasant morning. Mark had proven more organized than he had realized, and that miscalculation had cost Carlton dearly. Now Chris Larabee, and the other lawmen of Four Corners, had gotten loose. He would have to send some men after them. Unfortunately, Mark knew what the plan was....and, therefore, so did Larabee.

"Damn, I knew I should have just killed them outright!" Carlton muttered to himself.

Carlton also hated to admit this. He didn't have enough men to take Larabee out. He would have to send every man he had with him to try to deal with them. But if he did that, he might not be able to meet up with the stage.

"Damn that Mark. I'll kill him," Carlton muttered. "Jonas!" he called out.

A scruffy looking man ran up to him. "Yes, Boss?"

"Get everyone rounded up. We're going after them. There is a bonus for the man who brings Mark to me. Alive. Make sure they all understand that he is not to be killed. I want Mark alive."

Jonas nodded.

"Mark betrayed my trust. I want everyone to see what happens to men who betray David Carlton." Carlton grinned wickedly. Oh, he had plans for Mark. By the time he was done, Mark would be begging for a swift death. But Carlton wasn't planning on granting him one.

*******

Vin Tanner closed the spyglass and turned to Chris. "Yep, it's them. There's 'bout fifteen of em, ridin up kinda fast."

Chris nodded and looked at Buck. "Everything all set."

Buck grinned. "Yep."

Chris raised hat high in the air. Then he put it back on his head. He knew that JD, Nathan, and Josiah had been watching for that sign. Chris turned to Buck. "Where's that man?"

"Left him propped in a tree. Don't expect much trouble from him though. Had to tell him to take a nap."

"You may have sealed his fate, you know that," Chris stated.

"Aw hell, Chris, he did that to himself."

Vin grinned. "Can't say I feel too sorry for him."

"Agreed. Now, let's get this over with. We need to get back to Four Corners."

******

"You see them?" Carlton asked.

Jonas shook his head.

Just then a shot hit close to Carlton. Chris stood up, "Way I see it, you boys got two choices."

Carlton didn't wait to hear him out. He brought his gun up to fire on Chris, when the gun was shot out of his hand.

Several shots were fired. In the confusion of bullets, Mark woke up and fell out of the tree. He looked around in shock, as if trying to figure out where he was. Carlton looked at him with an evil glint in his eyes. He rode toward Mark and hit him on the head with the butt of his gun. As Mark began to fall, Carlton grabbed him and threw him over his saddle, then he rode off.

Chris saw this, but let him go. When the bullets stopped flying, none of the other gang members were alive. They'd fought to the last bullet. Admirable, but essentially stupid.

As quickly as possible, they rode off to Four Corners.

******

Ezra sat in his room. He had been in town about six hours. The shipment would arrive tomorrow. Larabee and the others had not returned yet. Ezra was beginning to get concerned. The others should not have been that far behind him.

Yet they had not returned. There was no way that he could stop what was going to happen on his own.

Ezra looked out his window onto the street below. Still no sign of them.

He went out of his room and headed to the stable. On his way out of the saloon, he told Hank where he would be.

Ezra brushed Ace. It was something he did whenever he needed to think, and had the luxury of time. He felt someone sneak into the building before he heard the person. But before he could react, he felt the muzzle of a gun placed to his back.

"Move and you're a dead man," a voice hissed.

*******

Ezra stiffened and remained still. "Turn around," the voice continued. Ezra obliged him and turned to face the man who held him at gunpoint. However, for the first time in his life, being in this position did not bother him. He knew he was perfectly safe.

"Buck, get his gun," Chris said, still training a gun on Ezra.

Buck took the gun belt Ezra wore, but left him his shoulder harness and sleeve rig.

"Bring him," Chris ordered.

Buck grabbed Ezra by the collar of his coat and started to pull him.

Ezra protested. "There is no call for this discourteous treatment of my apparel!"

Buck glared at him. "Shut up!"

The two men pulled him into the main street, then Chris shouted out, "I want to speak to whoever's in charge here."

Ezra cleared his throat. "That would be me."

"Not anymore you ain't. You're the hostage now. Who's your second?" Chris asked.

Ezra refused to answer him.

Once again, Chris shouted out. "I want to speak to the man in charge!"

Hank stepped out of the saloon. "Then I guess you're dealing with me. What do you want?"

"Oh, I think it's pretty obvious," Chris said with a grin. You leave, or we kill your friend here."

Hank actually smiled. "First of all mister, he ain't my friend. But you seem to be mistaken about something else."

Chris tilted his head and gave Hank a wicked grin. "What's that?"

"We got us lots of hostages. You just got the one."

"You're wrong there." Chris touched a finger to his hat. Instantly, the ground in front of Hank's feet exploded in a shower of dirt as a bullet was fired at him.

When Hank looked at him in shock, Chris smiled. "We got you surrounded see. I got men all over this town. So who's the one with lost of hostages?"

For the first time, Chris saw fear and uncertainty in Hank's face. But it was replaced quickly by something else. Chris watched as Hank called to someone in the saloon. A man came out and Hank whispered something to him. The man darted to the telegraph office. He went in and came out dragging Mary behind him.

Chris felt Ezra stiffen beside him. Then Ezra called out, "I told you, she is mine. I told you I would kill any man who touched her."

"I'm trying to save your worthless skin, you idiot. And all you're worried about is that woman you took?"

By this time, Mary was close enough that Chris could see her clearly. He hissed sharply, then asked her, "Who did that to you?"

Mary looked at Ezra but didn't say a word.

Without another thought, Chris turned around and struck Ezra on the back of his head with the butt of his gun. The force of the blow was enough to knock Ezra out. Ezra fell to the ground in a heap.

"The woman for him," Hank stated.

Chris nodded once. He threw Ezra towards Hank and Hank pushed Mary towards him. As Chris caught her, she whispered, "Chris, it's makeup. He didn't hurt me."

Chris looked back at Ezra, who still laying unmoving in the middle of the street. Then Chris and Buck backed out of town, taking Mary with them.

*******

Hank dragged Ezra into the saloon. He still had not come around. He signaled to Inez. "You see to him, lady."

Inez nodded and tended to Ezra's head. After a moment, Ezra groaned.

"What happened?" he asked as he looked at Inez. Inez shrugged in response.

Ezra slowly sat up. After he had a moment to adjust to the spinning in his head, he stood up and staggered to Hank. Then he sat next to him. "It seems that Larabee got away from Carlton. This changes things."

Hank nodded.

"They'll try to stop us."

Hank nodded again.

Ezra looked at him. "I suppose I should thank you for getting me away from them."

"Buy me a drink."

Ezra grinned and shouted to Inez, "A bottle of whiskey. For my friend."

"Si, Senor. Right away." A moment later Inez brought the bottle to the table. Ezra poured Hank a glass of whiskey.

And he kept pouring the whiskey until Hank passed out.

*******

Carlton smacked Mark hard. "I'll show you what happens to men who betray me!" He was ranting angrily. Most of his statements were incoherent.

Mark shook his head and muttered, "I didn't betray you!"

Carlton snorted. "Right. And you were out for a joy ride with them."

"I don't know how I got out with them!" Mark shouted.

Carlton smacked him one more time.

"Reallly! I didn't have nothin' to do with them gettin out. I didn't!"

Carlton stopped and looked at him. "Then who the hell did?"

Mark hesitated a moment. "Last thing I remember before waking up on a horse was that Sanders fellow getting me drunk."

Carlton stopped a moment. It made sense. Somewhat. But Mark could be lying to save his own skin. Carlton drew his gun and fired. Mark slumped over, dead.

Carlton headed back to town. He was going to check up on Sanders.

*******

As soon as Ezra was certain that Hank was going to be out for a while, he gathered the other men from the gang and changed their orders. Before, they had been working in groups of two and three.

"I want you to see to it that the streets and buildings are patrolled constantly. No more of this three together. It's too risky. They might slip by you. If you see someone, call for assistance. But otherwise, you each work alone."

He watched as a sea of faces nodded and smiled. They were each obviously pleased in the amount of faith he was putting in them.

"Get to it," Ezra stated then went back into the saloon.

*******

Chris nodded and lit up a cheroot. He motioned to Vin and Josiah. "You two are with me. Nathan, JD, and Buck stick together. We take them out one by one. Quietly. Put them at the jail."

"They have been avoiding it," Buck said with a smile.

"Then don't you think it's time we acquaint them with it, eh Buck?" JD asked.

"You been hangin' around Ezra again, JD?"

Chris shook his head. "Let's get to it."

Each man nodded his head, and they split into two groups.

Chris, Vin, and Josiah waited until the first man walked past them, then Josiah whistled and the man stopped. He walked down the alleyway.

"Evnin'," Chris stated with a grin. Josiah reached around the man and wrapped his arm around the man's neck. After a moment, the man slumped against him.

Vin grinned. "That's one."

"Yep."

The men waited awhile.

By midnight, the only members of the gang who were not resting as uncomfortably as possible in the jail cells were Hank, Ezra, and Carlton.

Chris stormed into the saloon. Ezra was sitting at a table and Hank was resting his head on the table. Chris nodded. Ezra winked once.

Chris watched as Ezra leaned towards Hank and tapped him on the shoulder. He didn't hear what Ezra said to the man, but both men soon approached him.

"Mr. Larabee, I informed my 'colleague', and understand I do utilize the term loosely, here that you had prepared alternate lodgings for him. Would you mind escorting him?"

"Not at all," Chris replied, then shoved Hank to Buck.

Chris looked at Ezra. "You realize you make a horrible gang leader?"

Ezra snorted. "Your confidence in my abilities astounds me, sir."

Chris let out a short laugh and then slapped Ezra on the back. "Glad you didn't run out on me."

"What, and have you kill me? Trust me, the course of action I took was far less dangerous."

"Come on, Ezra. I'll buy you a drink."

*******

The shipment rolled into town, under heavy guard. Chris Larabee stepped out into the street to greet it.

"Afternoon, boys."

"You the sheriff?"

"Not exactly, but I do protect this town, along with my friends." At this point, the other six men stepped out.

"We had news that there was trouble," the driver said.

"There was. It's taken care of." Chris was not in the mood to mince words.

The driver nodded. "Good."

*******

Just then, another man stepped onto the boardwalk. He looked down the street and saw the men standing in the street. He saw the six men who had escaped him, and with them he saw Sanders. From the way Sanders was standing, Carlton could tell that he had lied from the moment he met him.

Sanders was the seventh lawman. Sanders had released his friends, and he had left that man in charge of this phase of the heist. How could he have been so stupid as to have placed that much trust in a man he had just met.

Carlton shook his head. Well, Sanders had betrayed him. And Carlton had a reputation to maintain. Sanders was going to have to die. There really was no way around it.

He waited until the streets had cleared and watched Sanders head into the saloon. Carlton sneaked into the saloon and kept his profile low.

********

Vin watched the door and looked to Ezra and Chris. "You see who just came in?"

Both men nodded. Ezra stated, "No doubt he has arrived to exact retribution upon me. I'm certain he has ascertained the truth by this point."

"No doubt."

Ezra smiled. "May as well get this confrontation over with."

"Yep," Vin said as he went out the back door.

Ezra waited a few moments to give Vin time to get into position, then he left the saloon. He listened and paid attention to his surroundings. Carlton was not going to sneak up on him.

The boardwalk creaked, and Ezra spun around.

"Sanders, you're a dead man."

Ezra laughed. "I've been told that on numerous occasions. However, as you can see, no one has been able to effect that circumstance to date."

Carlton raised his gun. "Then I'll be the first."

*******

Ezra saw Carlton raise his gun. Ezra heard a shot ring out and then fired his own gun. He heard another shot ring out.

Only then did he really register the pain that was beginning to spread like a fire in his chest, and only then did he notice that he was lying on the boardwalk.

Ezra closed his eyes. He was tired and needed to rest. Then he would deal with Carlton.

*******

"Nathan!" Vin called out, then ran down to the boardwalk. He quickly checked Carlton. The man was dead. Then he looked over at Ezra.

Ezra had blood all over his chest and was not moving. Vin bent down but hesitated a moment before checking him for a pulse. Though it was irrational, Vin almost felt that if he did not check Ezra, then Ezra could not be dead.

Nathan ran up to them.

"He's dead. Ezra's..." Vin started to speak.

"Ezra's alive, but I've got to get that bullet out. You wanna help me move him?"

"He gonna make it?"

Nathan looked up at him a moment. "I don't know jes yet. Gotta get that bullet out first."

Vin nodded. Josiah, Buck, and Chris joined them on the boardwalk. "What happened?" Chris demanded.

"You wanna talk bout it while I'm gettin' that bullet out? Meantime, help me get him upstairs."

Buck reached under Ezra's head and shoulders and Josiah supported Ezra's legs. Together, the two men moved Ezra to Nathan's room. They placed him on the bed. Nathan quickly stripped Ezra of his jacket, vest and shirt and began to clean the area surrounding the wound.

Vin slumped against the wall, watching. "Chris, this shouldn't have happened. I should of shot him sooner."

Chris just looked at Vin but didn't say anything.

There was a knock on the door. Chris opened it. JD stood outside. "What happened?"

"Carlton shot Ezra."

JD looked towards Ezra. "He gonna be okay?"

Vin was looking down, obviously feeling remorse over what had happened. Chris turned to him. "This isn't your fault."

"Then whose fault is it, Chris? He trusted me to back him up. And I failed him." Vin left the room. Chris followed him.

Outside, Vin paced on the walkway. Chris looked at him. "Ezra won't blame you."

"You know that? I let him down. He just saved all of our lives and how do I repay him? I didn't fire soon enough."

Chris didn't say anything. The two men just stood outside Nathan's room, waiting for some sort of word.

*******

All he knew was the white hot searing pain in his chest. He screamed out as a log was shoved through the pain. He felt a barrier cross him as he tried to move away from the invasion. He fought and struggled, but he didn't have the strength to move the barrier. He gave up the fight and stopped struggling, surrendering to the blackness which held absolute freedom from the pain.

*******

Nathan looked down at Ezra and wiped his hands on a towel. Buck stared at him.

"Well, doc?"

Nathan glanced up at Buck. "Too soon to know. Got the bullet out, and got the bleeding stopped. But he lost lot o' blood, Buck."

Buck nodded. "You done your best. Rest is up to Ezra."

Nathan sat down and watched Ezra.

"Nathan, why don't you get some rest now? He ain't likely to wake up right away, is he?"

Nathan shook his head.

"Then I'll watch over him for a bit. I'll let you know if anything happens," Buck stated.

Nathan nodded. "I'll go talk to the others first. They'll want to know."

*******

Mary looked up at the group of men standing outside Nathan's room. From here, she could tell that they were all worried. She was worried. When Nathan came out, he looked beaten. But he did not look defeated.

She wanted to go up there, but it was Ezra. If it were Chris, or even Vin, she would have felt comfortable demanding to be kept informed. But this was Ezra. Ezra, who was a gambler and conman. Ezra who was a part of the group, but not really a member of it. This was Ezra who she did not trust and barely considered a friend.

This was Ezra, who had kissed her.

Mary wanted to go up there, but she could not make herself do so. He had done his best to save her, but she could not bring herself to go ask how he was doing. She blinked back a tear and went back into the Clarion office.

******

Buck sat with Ezra for a while. Vin came in later and sat down next to him.

"How's he doin?"

Buck shook his head. "Don't rightly know, Vin. He ain't moved. But he don't seem to have a fever. Guess that's good."

Buck looked at Vin appraisingly. "I need to step outside for some air. You mind sittin' with him a moment?"

Vin nodded. "Naw, go ahead."

Buck grinned and went outside.

Vin moved the chair closer to the bed. He took his hat off his head and looked down to his hands. Then he looked back at Ezra. Vin looked back down at his hands. He couldn't bring himself to say it. He could not bring himself to tell Ezra that he was sorry. In his mind, apologizing to him now was akin to letting him die. He couldn't do it.

Ezra groaned softly and turned his head. Vin stood up and opened the door. Buck was right there. "I think he's comin' round."

"I'll get Nathan," Buck said and he ran down to the stairs.

Moments later, Nathan came into the room and bent over Ezra. He opened one of Ezra's eyes and looked into it. Ezra brought a hand up part way, trying to swat the unwelcome intrusion away.

Nathan looked over at them and grinned broadly.

Ezra opened his eyes and looked over at them.

Nathan asked, "How do you feel, Ezra?"

Ezra looked at him blearily, but didn't respond.

"Want some water?" Nathan asked.

Ezra nodded. Vin moved to help him sit up, and Ezra leaned heavily against him. Nathan pressed a glass of water to his lips and he drank a few sips, then leaned his head back and went back to sleep.

Vin slowly lowered him back to the pillows, then looked at Nathan.

Nathan smiled. "He's gonna be right sore for a day or so, then right irritable for several after that."

Vin nodded.

*******

Ezra sat in the saloon. He was still a bit tired, but he hated being cooped up in a bed. Besides, Vin kept looking at him like he felt guilty for something. And Ezra knew exactly what it was. However, neither man was going to bring it up.

Vin finally spoke up. "Buy you a drink, Ezra?"

'That would be most appreciated, Mr. Tanner."

Vin nodded once, then got up to get the whiskeys. When he returned, he placed the glass in front of Ezra, along with a piece of paper, neatly printed out in a woman's hand. He tipped his hat once, then left the saloon.

Ezra downed the glass of whiskey, then he picked up the paper.

What is the measure of a man?

The profit he loses or gains?

Or is he counted by a worth

That is often shown by pain?

What is the measure of a friend

Who guards another's back,

And stands there firm, while others run

His courage doesn't slack?

He is measured in weighs

That show his worth

Is grander than all the gold

That is found throughout the earth.

"Just goes to show you, Mr. Tanner," Ezra whispered as he placed the paper back on the table, "I've conned you as well."


End file.
